Travel is a tool for validation, a way to say "I see you, I hear you, and your story matters." Today's guest, Muna Haddad, has built her long career in tourism around this principle.
Muna is a powerful maker of change in the world of travel and someone I admire deeply. She is the founder of Baraka Destinations, an organization creating tourism experiences in Jordan’s secondary, forgotten locations that center local narratives and give power back to where it belongs: local communities.
Muna spent nearly two decades working in sustainable tourism. She founded the Jordan Trail Association, which promotes the 400-mile hiking trail that runs across the country, and helped create the Meaningful Travel Map of Jordan.
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Send us a short note with your name, where you’re calling in from, and an answer to two questions:
- What gives YOU hope in this moment in time
- Which place you are going to next
We’ll run your answers at the end of the season in our Community Voices episode! To participate, fill out this form OR send us a short audio clip (an iPhone voice recording is just fine!) to hello@goingplacesmedia.com by Monday, April 27.
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What you’ll learn in this episode:
- How a trip to Cambodia led Muna down this path
- Asking 'who benefits?' and 'who gets to tell the story of a place?'
- How Baraka's work transformed the village of Umm Qais in northern Jordan
- Why the model Muna started is a revolution needed everywhere in travel
- What makes Baraka's new tour in Amman extraordinary
- Words matter: why terms 'Middle East' and 'Levant' are a colonial legacy
- Unpacking Orientalism
Featured on the show:
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Going Places with Yulia Denisyuk is a show that sparks a better understanding of people and places near and far by fostering a space for real conversations to occur. Each week, we sit down with travelers, journalists, creators, and people living and working in destinations around the world. Hosted by Yulia Denisyuk, an award-winning travel journalist, photographer, and writer who's worked with National Geographic, The New York Times, BBC Travel, and more.
Learn more about our show at goingplacesmedia.com.
